Obama promotes health exchanges ahead of kickoff

The White House says Obama will explain Thursday how Americans can comparison shop for insurance that meets their needs. He plans to tell an audience at a community college in Largo, Md., that they’ll have lots of options, including plans that are affordable on a variety of budgets.

A six-month enrollment period for the exchanges starts Tuesday. The Obama administration needs millions of Americans — especially young, healthy people — to sign up in order to keep costs low for everyone.